Field Hockey Downed by Williams' Early Surge

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

In its only game of the week, Middlebury lost to Williams 3-1 Saturday. In what amounted to a battle for a share of first place with Bowdoin, Middlebury fell victim to the one of Williams' star players, Tori Scott, whose goal and two assists in the game earned her New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Field Hockey Player of the Week honors. With the loss Middlebury now sits in a tie for third place in the NESCAC with Bates, a team it has yet to play this season.
Williams capitalized right away with a goal in the second minute, showing it was well adjusted to the natural grass conditions. Middlebury, in typical fashion, fought back but could not produce a goal from the spirited play. With 7:14 to play in the opening period, Williams scored again. It was a hole out of which Middlebury could not climb.
"We gave up the first goal," said Coach Katharine DeLorenzo, "and that sort of was a mood-setter early on." The early troubles on the defensive end DeLorenzo attributed to the Panthers defenders dropping back and packing the goal area too early in Williams' offensive sequences, which allowed the Ephs to operate efficiently between the 10 and 25 yard lines. Williams consequently was able to set up more scoring chances and had more freedom within the Panther zone. The result was a great many scoring chances for the Ephs, which meant many defenders were blocking shots in addition to sophomore Jo Opot, who had nine on the day.
The second half was a split with Williams tallying the first goal and Middlebury the second. It was an all-rookie affair for the Panthers at the 4:13 mark in the second half when Allison Smith '06 assisted Channing Weymouth '06 for the first goal of her Middlebury career. At the final whistle Williams left 3-1 victors although DeLorenzo pointed out that it was a "strong performance throughout. The team played very hard against a first-place team."
At 4-2 in the NESCAC, Middlebury enters its final three conference games tied with the Bates Bobcats in the standings. DeLorenzo noted that despite the loss the Panthers are right where they hope to be in positioning for the post season. "In the whole scheme of things the Williams game was not terribly important," she said. If the regular season were to end today, Middlebury would be in line to face Williams again in a tough semifinal match up.
Union College will pose a threat as a non-conference opponent in a game Thursday afternoon in Middlebury. The squad from Schenectady recently fell to Williams by just one goal. For Homecoming Weekend the Panthers will take on Bates in a battle for third place in the NESCAC. Both upcoming games this week look to be tight, well-played contests.
Thursday's game against Union will begin at 4:15, and Saturday's matchup with Bates starts at noon.
In the waiting period, the Panthers will reorient themselves with the articificial surface on which they will be playing the remainder of their games this season.